Hot corrosion resistance of high-velocity oxyfuel sprayed coatings on a nickel-base superalloy in molten salt environment

No alloy is immune to hot corrosion attack indefinitely. Coatings can extend the lives of substrate materials used at higher temperatures in corrosive environments by forming protective oxides layers that are reasonably effective for long-term applications. This article is concerned with studying the performance of high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) sprayed NiCrBSi, Cr3C2-NiCr, Ni-20Cr, and Stellite-6 coatings on a nickel-base superalloy at 900 degrees C in the molten salt (Na2SO4-60%V2O5) environment under cyclic oxidation conditions. The thermogravimetric technique was used to establish kinetics of corrosion. Optical microscope, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/electron dispersive analysis by x-ray (SEM/EDAX), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) techniques were used to characterize the as-sprayed coatings and corrosion products. The bare superalloy suffered somewhat accelerated corrosion in the given environmental conditions, whereas hot corrosion resistance of all the coated superalloys was found to be better. Among the coatings studied, Ni-20Cr coated superalloy imparted maximum hot corrosion resistance, whereas Stellite-6 coated indicated minimum resistance. The hot corrosion resistance of all the coatings may be attributed to the formation of oxides and spinels of nickel, chromium, or cobalt.